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Smyth County OKs authority to execute Avenity financial software contract pending attorney review
Summary
The Board authorized the County Administrator on May 28 to execute a contract with Avenity for Commissioner/Treasurer financial software, subject to final County Attorney review; staff flagged IT liability, cloud-hosting concerns and recommended vendor meetings before execution.
The Smyth County Board of Supervisors voted May 28 to authorize County Administrator Shawn Utt to execute a contract with Avenity for financial software services for the Commissioner of Revenue and Treasurer’s offices, contingent on the County Attorney’s final review.
Commissioner of Revenue Bradley Powers told the Board his office had compatibility and automation concerns with the county’s current Edmunds software and requested permission to seek an Avenity contract for review. Powers said Avenity was developed for Virginia commissioners and treasurers and could improve online payment options and address issues such as miscategorization of vehicles and mailing accuracy.
Treasurer Tom Burkett said Avenity was "highly recommended" by peer offices. County staff and IT expressed concerns about cloud-hosting liability and potential additional hosting costs. County Attorney Scot Farthing advised the Board that liability protections and contract language needed careful review; Farthing said his analysis indicated some liability would still fall to the county unless contractual terms specifically transferred it.
After discussion and a motion by Supervisor Jason Parris, seconded by Supervisor Courtney Widener, the Board approved authorizing the County Administrator to execute the contract subject to final attorney review. The vote was 5–1 with one supervisor dissenting and one absent.
Next steps: staff will hold a meeting with Avenity personnel to clarify technology capabilities, hosting and liability concerns, and the County Attorney will complete final contract review prior to execution.
